● People: Sellers, buyers, intermediaries, information systems specialists and other employees, and any other participants.
● Public policy: Legal and other policy and regulating issues, such as privacy protection and taxation, that are determined by the government.
● Marketing and advertising: Like any other business, EC usually requires the support of marketing and advertising. This is especially important in B2C online transactions where the buyers and sellers usually do not know each other.
● Support services: Many services are needed to support EC. These range from payments to order delivery and content creation.
● Business partnerships: Joint ventures, e-marketplaces, and business partnerships of various sorts are common in EC. These occur frequently throughout the supply chain (i.e., the interactions between a company and its suppliers, customers, and other partners).